GMB Akash

Photojournalism | Last Updated: December 4, 2020

My passion for photography began in 1996 with my father’s old camera. An old camera Yasica FX3 was a vessel to reach to my dream. To discover a road that was unseen to me. As a young man, I became fascinated with the interpersonal relationships I was able to develop with my subjects through the lens of my camera.

Growing up in a developing country filled with millions of impoverished people I had access to the darkest corner of the world for which I was passionate. I started documenting sufferings and found beauty in ugliness, happiness in despair, dreams in suffocation. I am a photojournalist; also I do travel photography and have special affection for street photography. Simply to say, I am just a poor story teller, who has nothing but a suitcase full of photo tales.

In my eighteen year photography journey, Canon remains my trusted companion. But my first professional camera was a Nikon F90x. Then I have my Canon EOS 1 V and then Canon 5D. After some years Canon 5D Mark II was my magic camera for around five years. Recently I started shooting with Canon 5D Mark III. This latest camera is very fast. I can shoot in low light without any noise. It is very friendly but strong. As a colour photographer, I am fully satisfied with this latest version.

I have to travel a lot so it is essential to carry all the important things with me all the time. But I love to make it light. I do not use typical camera bags. I love to carry light school bag type camera bags. I spend a long time with my subjects and never want to be an alien to them with a huge bag pack.

My camera bag essentials are Canon 5D Mark III camera, Canon 5D mark II camera, Canon 35mm f/1.4 lens, Canon 24mm f/1.4 lens, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 Mark II lens, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 mark II lens, a small Swiss knife, a sound recorder – I love to record sound from different locations, a lens cleaning pen, a note book and pen – I love to collect information and write stories for my blog, my national and international press cards, a bunch of CF cards/memory cards, 3 camera batteries, a torch light, my spare glasses.

I have to walk a lot, so I wear a great pair of shoes. I wear a strong belt because sometimes I work on the roof of trains and my assistant has to hold my belt from the back during shooting to avoid an accident. I carry a nice cap to protect myself from the harsh sun, and also wear a watch – my favorite accessories. For refreshing my mind I am used to listening to music during breaks, so I carry an 8 GB Ipod with me.

I use two f/1.4 lenses most of the time. The Canon 35mm f/1.4 and the Canon 24mm f/1.4 are my favorites as I can work in really low light. Most of the time I work inside in low light areas and I never use any flashes.

Lastly, the first question all beginners ask me is about my camera. I say that the camera is the medium, but the core is our eyes. It is our third eye that will capture the image and the camera will only convey it. Do not become a camera-junkie with many big varieties. All cameras will be backdated but your eyes will remain incomparable.

www.gmb-akash.com